Oscar Garcia is doing very well for Albion, perhaps too well for his own good.

Two points and two places outside the Championship play-off zone and now through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

It must be tempting for his bosses to think not much damage will be done if, by Saturday, the squad has not been brought back up to strength.

Do Albion really need replacements for Ashley Barnes, Andrew Crofts and Adam El-Abd?

After all, Oscar made seven changes and his revamped side still saw off Port Vale in a potentially awkward assignment with relative ease.

That temptation must be resisted if Albion are to remain serious contenders for a top six finish.

We witnessed at Vale Park a glimpse into a very bright future for the club.

Four of the players picked by Oscar - Lewis Dunk, Rohan Ince, Jake Forster-Caskey and Solly March - have come through the development squad.

Two others, summer signing Adam Chicksen and on-loan striker Jonathan Obika, are still in their early twenties.

They all contributed to a bright performance in difficult conditions which was too much for their plucky hosts.

Let's not forget though that Albion and Port Vale, with identical records of 39 points from 26 games, are a League apart.

Much tougher tests await Oscar's squad in the remaining 20 games in the Championship, beginning at Burnley tomorrow night and continuing at Watford on Sunday.

It is a little disturbing in the context of the last few days of the January transfer window that Albion have now missed out on two targets to teams well below them in the table and with far less Premier League potential.

Lewis Grabban's decision to stay at Bournemouth and Shaun Williams' preference for Millwall suggests there is room for improvement in the recruitment structure Oscar has to rely on.

The worry now, so late in the window, is that he will end up with targets well down the wish list.